Quiz: 20 questions about the world a future U.S. president should get right

Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, complained when conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt asked him a "gotcha" question earlier this month about Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general who heads the Islamic Republic's elite, shadowy Quds Force. Trump proceeded to talk about Kurds, much to the media's general amusement.

So here's a chance for a do-over.

WorldViews presents this world knowledge challenge to Trump and anyone else who wants to take charge of the planet's sole superpower. The rest of you can play along, too.

1

So, let's get this out of the way. Who here is Qassem Soleimani?

This guy.

This guy.

This guy.

This guy.

2

Who/what are the Kurds?

A caste of cheese makers originally from lands near the Caspian Sea

A stateless ethnic group living mostly in parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran

A guerrilla organization with a long history of violence across the Middle East

Clumps of coagulated milk

3

Who is the supposed leader of the Islamic State, a jihadist organization based in Syria and Iraq?

Ayman al-Zawahiri

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Abdel Fattah el-Sissi

Abed Rabbo Manour Hadi

4

According to the UN, the world’s most populous country in 2022 will be…

China

Indonesia

India

Brazil

5

EUROPE-MIGRANTS/CAMERON-AID; Susana Vera, Susana Vera

This is David Cameron. Who is he?

Britain’s head of state

Britain’s head of government

Britain’s foreign minister

Britain’s ambassador to the U.S.

6

Which nation is the U.S.’s single biggest trading partner?

Canada

China

Mexico

Japan

7

This foreign nation "recognized" the independence of the United States in 1777, before any other country. Which one was it?

France

Morocco

Britain

Spain

8

AUSTRIA-WEATHER/; Dominic Ebenbichler, Dominic Ebenbichler

What’s the official language of Austria?

Austrian

German

Hapsburgese

Romansh

9

Which of these is not actually a country?

Tajikistan

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrzbekistan

Uzbekistan

10

; Kari Lydersen

How big, roughly, is the continent of Africa?

More than two times the size of the U.S.

More than four times the size of China

More than three times the size of India

More than three times the size of the U.S.

11

The Lebanese militant organization, Hezbollah, is associated with which sect of Islam?

Sunnism

Salafism

Shi'ism

Deobandism

12

Which of these islands is not U.S. territory?

Pitcairn

Saipan

Guam

Navassa

13

This is the flag of which country?

Germany

Angola

Belgium

Macedonia

14

Which of these countries has its own nuclear weapon arsenal?

Saudi Arabia

Iran

Germany

Israel

15

NATO flag; Istockphoto

Which country is not a member of NATO, a Western military alliance?

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Estonia

16

After the U.S., which NATO member has the largest army?

Britain

Germany

Turkey

France

17

On its own, U.S. defense spending is believed to be greater than the combined budgets of the next how many top spending governments?

3

4

6

7

18

Which of these countries is the U.S. not bound by treaty to defend?

Britain

Turkey

New Zealand

Latvia

19

Which of these countries did U.S. troops never invade?

Haiti

Panama

Argentina

The Philippines

20

What do Islam Karimov, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Yoweri Museveni, and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have in common?

They are leaders of their countries.

They preside over authoritarian regimes with questionable human rights records.